MC mentioned that he liked the winner. Not someone he would hang out with but did well in the comps and passed the hidden tests. Femia had no hidden tests did she?

10-20-2004, 04:14 PM

sugarlady

Quote:

Originally Posted by famita

Amanda, I'm with you about Dom. I don't see his "cut-throat" ways, which seems to be what MC was after. I liked the fact that he gave that couple money to pay for their dinner and he gave that candy hawker his beloved necklace. I personally can't stand Linda-she has caustically run through my last nerve! Her voice grates on me and I want to reach through the tv and grab..... enough ranting! If Dom gets it, I would be so disappointed since that would go against the premise of the show. If Linda gets it, I don't see how she earned it except for running over everyone else's toes. Therefore, I think Femia should get it.

I am not up on the current slang. Dominic said do you need me to front you some money. Does that mean loan you some money instead of give you some money. How much can a sea shell necklace actually be worth in Cancun? I thought the necklace looked very tacky compared to jewelry that I have purchased in the Caribbean on vacations.

Linda's harsh accent would have been enough for me not to put her on a TV show. I don't know why they have given her so much camera time. She was a poor choice for carrying the bulk of the series from a contestant view point. I think Spencer was given a raw deal and not given nearly as much camera time and shown in a more unfavorable light.

I don't have a problem with Mark being actively on camera. I think that a better caste of contestants should have been selected and placed in more challenging situations. The advancement process has seemed to be more of a lark or by chance situation instead of clearly earned. The Benefactor has more of a random giveaway like the lottery or a sweepstakes type of feel.

Even though Survivor is very cut throat and back stabbing there are enough elements that usually make it seem like the winner has done something exceptional to survive. I always feel like anyone that can survive the conditions in the time frame deserves a million dollars.

10-20-2004, 06:27 PM

gracie727

Things I didn't like about this "Benefactor":

1) No time to get to know the contestants before they were gone.
2) Seemingly random way of eliminating many of them.
3) What was the "game" really? I didn't see this as a game at all! Jeopardy is a game! Clue is a game! Even Twister is a game! But this was just a series of events that lead to 15 people we hardly knew getting kicked off the show.
4) Wasn't there supposed to be a lesson in all of this? It totally escapes me what it is. Maybe the lesson is "Luck is the most important thing in the world" in which case there are lottery winners who could have produced this show just as successfully.
5) If only for the sake of staying on TV, you need to produce a show that the public likes -- and not just the public in Dallas.

People watch reality TV shows for the characters, so you need to have character development, which doesn't happen in 10 minutes in the first episode. You need to have a variety of characters OF ALL AGES AND BACKGROUNDS -- I stress this because I find the offbeat characters are often the most loved of all. People like them because they are competitive. For examples, look at Charla & Mirna and the Bowling Moms on TAR.

You also need to have "reasonable reasons" for people being eliminated. No one likes to see someone who didn't do anything get eliminated. It's just not fair. It's like firing your secretary on the first day she shows up for work just because she didn't smile at you the right way when you came in the door.

So, based on the above, here is what I would do if there is a Benefactor 2:

1) Start with less contestants. I think 12 is a nice number. Let everyone get to know them. Make sure they all NEED money, not just that they want it. It would be nice to find people with *big dreams* or even little dreams but people who really need a helping hand. (Benefactors usually help those who are needy, not those who are wanty.)

2) Don't eliminate everyone so quickly. Maybe the first episode would allow everyone to get to know the 12 contestants. They could all tell what their *big dream* is. Then, let all the people in the house, including MC, vote for the two they think are the least worthy of receiving money. Those two could say goodbye.

3) I would have a sliding scale on the money since we are now dealing with people who need money. Maybe 9th and 10th place could get $5,000 each. 7th and 8th could get $10,000 each -- and so on up the ladder.

4) Second task, I would split the 10 people up into 5 teams of two. There would be some task where the last place team would be eliminated. (Maybe like the Loser Basketball Challenge -- only it would have to be something different-- but it would have to be something where luck wasn't the only factor in winning.) That would put us down to 8 people.

5) Give the 8 people $1,000 each and 48 hours to come up with something risky that would impress MC. Two more could be eliminated here.

Anyway, no one is paying me to come up with ideas but if I were getting paid, I'm sure I could come up with a pretty good TV show! I like the premise of the show, I just don't like the execution.

I recently read somewhere that "Extreme Makeover Home Edition" was a surprise hit this year because it is doing really good -- but I'll tell you -- that show really pulls on your heartstrings and it's fun to watch people who really NEED a better home GET a better home!

If the Benefactor could pull on the same heartstrings and fulfill *dreams* for people, it would have a lot more viewers too! But the randomness needs to be eliminated, the contestants need to be better selected and allowed to become more developed characters, and some of the tasks need to be better defined and more interesting.

I have no problem with MC being in the show as much as he is. I just think the rest of the show needs fixing.

10-20-2004, 09:19 PM

E-Daddy

There is character developent in this show. Not in the beginning that much, but once it got down to 6, the show got more dramatic. Look at Shawn, William, and of course Linda. There was a lot of of character development from those three! And the best is yet to come!!!

10-20-2004, 10:07 PM

gracie727

There isn't enough character development. Let's face it -- on reality shows, no one remembers the contestants who are cut the first night. The second night usually suffers that same problem too.

On this show they cut, what? 6 contestants in the first two shows? Or was it 8? I can't even tell you the name of the first guy that was sent packing... And I don't remember the 2nd and 3rd either.

There is really no point to having this many people in the show to begin with if no one can remember them!!

I'm sorry, but the show needs to tell a story. If there is no story, people won't get hooked on watching it because they won't care about the next episode -- so it's critical that you have some sort of hook that keeps people watching.

10-20-2004, 11:21 PM

sugarlady

One problem is that for the most part you don't really feel connected to the players. I think part of the problem is that such ordinary people were selected for the most part that you really don't have an exceptional positive personality to really root for. Sure there are many things in life that are based on luck. Michael Jordan discussed this in one of his autobiographies. But as a viewer it is hard to maintain interest when someone that you may favor does not seem to have much control over their fate.

10-21-2004, 12:13 AM

E-Daddy

Actually, I must admit that I got my hook from Femia in Episode 1. Shawn hooked me in episode 2 and Linda at the end of Episode 3.

10-21-2004, 09:31 AM

eny

Although I've said before it's refreshing these contestants weren't the same old /model reality media whores, some of them really were annoying. I didn't want to get to know these characters at all. To be fair, the same thing could be said for this seasons crop of survivor. You have to have a good cast to support the show.

10-21-2004, 10:21 PM

crackerjack

First, hire Mark Brunette. He would have done a much better job casting contestants. Second, make the challenges a little more cut and dry. Basically, Mark just arbitrarily picked who he wanted to stay or go. Some would argue that that is the whole premise, but it made it unwatchable. I think the show has great potential, but as is it was mostly a bad show.

10-22-2004, 12:02 AM

dberk

Where was this thread when I put my ideas on the Questions for Mark thread? How can I cut and paste that post?